Best Credit Unions Anyone Can Join

Some credit unions require members to meet strict criteria or pay high membership fees, but in many cases, it can be easy and cost-effective to join a credit union. Among the credit unions with open membership, GOBankingRates evaluated the best credit unions based on the following factors:

The Best Credit Unions Anyone Can Join

You can consider joining a credit union without worrying about meeting certain criteria — some credit unions have minimal eligibility requirements. GOBankingRates has identified some credit unions that anyone can join; listed here are those that require a small, one-time donation — between $5 and $25 — to join. Donations go toward charities or foundations supported by each credit union. By donating, civilians can even join military credit unions.

What Is a Credit Union?

Credit unions are nonprofit organizations that function like banks. A credit union is owned and controlled by its members — the people who actually use its services. Credit unions return profits to members in the form of reduced fees, higher savings rates and lower interest rates on loans.

The best credit unions are sometimes national credit unions, but if you’re not sure what you want, shop around and compare a number of institutions. You should also learn what it takes to join each credit union and look into the best online and nationwide credit unions, too.

Credit Union You Can Join Right Now

Review the details of these 12 credit unions that will welcome anyone as a member:

1. Alliant Credit Union

How to join: Make a donation to Foster Care to SuccessFees: $5 minimum to open a High-Rate Savings account, minimum $5 contribution to Foster Care to Success (one-time fee, nonrefundable)

Membership benefits:

Free credit score access

Free bill pay

80,000 surcharge-free ATMs

24/7 customer service

Membership perks: N/A

Alliant Credit Union snagged the top spot in this list of best credit unions anyone can join because of the 1.95% APY on its High-Rate Savings account and its array of services, which include a free checking account with ATM rebates and a free Visa debit card.

2. Affinity Plus Federal Credit Union

How to join: Make a donation to the Affinity Plus FoundationFees: $10 minimum balance to open an account, $25 donation to the Affinity Plus Foundation (one-time fee, nonrefundable)

Membership benefits:

Free checking

Savings accounts for kids

Business services

Online and mobile banking

Membership perks:

Cash rewards on buying or selling a home

Car-buying assistance

Insurance discounts for cars and homes

Sprint wireless plan cash rewards

Discounted tickets to Nickelodeon Universe in the Mall of America and the Orpheum, State and Pantages theaters

The list of best credit unions anyone can join features Affinity Plus because of its full range of financial services. You can join by making a one-time donation of $25 to the Affinity Plus Foundation. Members can open the Membership Savings Account and earn 1.00% APY, plus free credit advice, rewards for charitable donations and more.

3. Northrop Grumman Federal Credit Union

How to join: Become a member of the Southern California Historical Aviation FoundationFees: $5 minimum to open a Regular Savings Account, $60 membership to Southern California Historical Aviation Foundation

Northrop Grumman offers comprehensive financial services. Members also don’t get some of the perks other credit unions offer and its regular savings account earns 0.33% APY. You can join by making a donation to the Southern California Historical Aviation Foundation, a nonprofit dedicated to preserving and displaying regional aircraft artifacts.

Connexus Credit Union offers a range of financial products. Members enjoy products like home, student and auto loans and credit cards, as well as life insurance through TruStage.

To join, you can make a one-time, $5 donation to the Connexus Association, a nonprofit that supports charitable organizations like the American Cancer Society, American Red Cross and more.

6. American Heritage Federal Credit Union

How to join: Become a member of the Kids-N-Hope FoundationFees: $15 opening deposit, membership in the Kids-N-Hope Foundation

Membership benefits:

Free checking

Online banking and bill pay

Home, student and auto loans

Credit cards

Membership perks:

Discounted Phillies and 76ers tickets

Discounted tickets to the Museum of the American Revolution

Discounts with vendors like TurboTax, Sprint, ADT Home Security and car rentals

Philadelphia-based American Heritage Federal Credit Union requires a $15 minimum deposit to open a regular savings account, but requires no minimum balance. The Primary Share Savings account from AHFCU earns only 0.16% APY — one of the lowest on the list — but it offers 0.21% APY on balances of $10,000 or more.

Members also get access to other perks like 2.70% APY on a 47-month CD and 3.05% APY on a 59-month CD. You can join by meeting eligibility requirements or making a one-time donation to the Kids-N-Hope Foundation, which helps children receive specialized care like music therapy.

NASA Federal Credit Union has a range of financial products — but its Prime Savings account requires $5 to open and earns only 0.10% APY. The membership rewards program consist of perks like free, out-of-network ATM transactions and discounts on loan rates.

GTE Financial Credit Union has high savings rates and a wide variety of financial services. The minimum balance to open a savings account is just $5 and it earns a 0.10% APY on balances over $100.

9. NuVision Federal Credit Union

How to join: Become a member of the American Consumer CouncilFees: $5 opening balance, $8 membership for the American Consumer Council

Membership benefits:

Online and mobile banking and bill pay

Youth accounts

Loyalty rewards program

Home, auto and student loans

Credit cards

Competitive mortgage rates

Membership perks: N/A

NuVision Federal Credit Union Primary Savings offers a full range of financial services, but its Primary Savings account has a minimum opening deposit of $5 and earns only 0.10% APY. It also doesn’t offer a basic, free checking account but you can waive any fees with a minimum balance or other qualifiers. You can join by becoming a member of the American Consumer Council, which provides education and information about consumer products and services.

10. State Department Federal Credit Union

How to join: Become a member of the American Consumer CouncilFees: $1 minimum opening balance, $8 for membership in the American Consumer Council

Membership benefits:

Free Visa debit card

Unlimited check writing

Purchase Rewards program

Membership perks:

Free credit report

Foreign currency exchange

Free traveler’s checks

The savings rates with the State Department Federal Credit Union is just a 0.10% APY, but you get a variety of banking and loan services available to you as a member. Plus, given the bank’s status in serving employees of the U.S. State Department, a number of services related to foreign travel are offered with your account.

11. Hughes Federal Credit Union

How to join: Make a small donation to the Friends of the Oro Valley Public Library, Friends of the Pima County Public Library, Friends of the Green County Public Library or the Tuscon Audubon SocietyFees: $50 minimum deposit plus a small one-time donation to one of four local nonprofit organizations

Membership benefits:

Overdraft protection

Unlimited check writing

Online and mobile banking

Free online and mobile bill pay

Free Visa debit card

Membership perks:

10 percent off at the Madaras Gallery

Although the savings account has only a 0.25% APY, the associated checking account is offered for free and comes with a wide variety of perks and benefits. Hughes Federal Credit Union also offers access to a variety of investing, loan and banking products.

12. Teachers Federal Credit Union

How to join: Anyone can become a member with a $1 membership feeFees: $1 one-time membership fee, $25 minimum to open an account

Membership benefits:

E-Z Bill Pay

Easy and convenient online access

Free certified financial planning

Membership perks: N/A

Formerly known as Melrose Credit Union, the Teachers Federal Credit Union offers a 0.10% APY on its savings accounts. Members can also access E-Z Bill Pay and an array of banking services through online and mobile platforms.

Can Anyone Join a Credit Union?

Typically, you have to meet certain criteria to join a credit union, but there are many different kinds of credit unions. For example, there are credit unions just for military members, employees of certain organizations or members of certain labor unions, churches or alumni associations.

Most credit unions extend membership to family members, so if you have a relative who’s a member, you’re likely eligible to join. And, as you can see, several credit unions do extend membership to everyone. Ultimately, the best way to join a credit union is to find the one that most closely matches your needs.

Methodology: GOBankingRates assessed information about credit unions, including sourcing information from the financial institution provider websites as of Nov. 26, 2018. To comprise this list of the best credit unions anyone can join, GOBankingRates considered the following factors: (1) minimum balance to open an account; (2) savings account APY; (3) variety of products available; and (4) customer service offerings.

GOBankingRatesis a personal finance and consumer interest rate website owned byConsumerTrack, Inc.,an online marketing company serving top-tier banks, credit unions and other financial services organizations. Some companies mentioned in this article might be clients of ConsumerTrack, Inc., which serves more than 100 national, local and online financial institutions. Rankings and roundups are completely objective, and no institution, client or otherwise, paid for inclusion or specific placement. Any opinions, analyses, reviews or recommendations expressed in this article are those of the author alone and have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by the companies included in the article.

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